Miscellaneous Archives

Here is the complete Honda Timing Belt and Timing Chain List. Some Honda engines are timing belt and others are chain. You need to know which one you have. A belt will need to be changed at regular intervals (usually at 90-120k miles) whereas a chain is generally good for the life of the engine and…

The following list will provide you the information on whether your car engine is an interference engine or a non-interference engine. An interference engine is one that has insufficient clearance between the valves and pistons if the cam stops turning due to a broken timing belt. The result is usually catastrophic engine failure. Not so with a…

Astounding as it may seem, your car is made from about 35,000 pieces. But only 65% is steel (the rest is made from other metals, glass, rubber and upholstery). When your car finally finds its way to the graveyard hall of fame you will find that they will on average give you $300 for it….

Eating out in Shenzhen is one of the wilder experiences in life. For one you must understand that the Chinese are in love with heat. Tea and food come to you in extreme temperatures. This is mainly for sanitation purposes, as in either smoking out your intestines with Szechwan spices or just simply boiling things…

The 50-millionth Toyota sold in the US was a Camry. That was good enough reason for Toyota to reward the buyer of that Camry something special. Even though the buyer Michael Dee had financed his purchase, Toyota showed up at a family BBQ and gave the title to him. Toyota group vice president Bill Fay showed up not only to…

Efficiency is Life? When you first arrive in Shenzhen China you will notice a very big sign that states their motto. It says “Time is money, efficiency is life”. I am not sure if the sign is intended for the foreigners like me to let them know what they can expect from the population (that…

What we consider the ubiquitous food of China (rice) seems unavailable. I never see it on the menu and it is never offered. The Chinese it seems, at least in the Guangdong province, do not eat a lot of rice. They make things with rice, no doubt, but they don’t seem to eat it as…

Had I known I would not see a fork (or any other utensil except chopsticks) for the next 10 days perhaps I would have stuck an extra bunch of cutlery in my suitcase. But hey, here I am in the midst of Chinese culture and the food and the way I eat it will just…

Following is the complete Toyota Timing Belt and Timing Chain List. Some Toyota engines have timing belts, some have timing chains. It pays to know what your engine has. Belts need to be replaced at normal intervals (usually every 90-100k on late model cars) or you will have hell to pay. Timing chains however are a…

Everyone knows about craigslist.org, but only a few of us have used the much more effective search tool named http://crazedlist.com/ on a daily basis. It was a sad day when I recently logged on and found the following message: “SORRY! crazedlist is down until further notice. It’s been real, it’s been fun, it’s been real…

“Greg Macke is certainly a car angel. He was able to sell my Camry for twice what the Toyota dealer offered as trade in. More than this though is his wonderful energy in making the whole process enjoyable. Thank you, Greg!”

Catherine Ann Jones, Meiners Oaks

“Greg, you are indeed a car angel. What an incredible service you provide. I am sooo happy with my car. It is so… me!”

Eileen Donavon, Ojai

“Greg really makes car buying a breeze. I just told him what I wanted and he did everything for me. Before I knew it, he was calling me up asking when I could pick up my new sweet ride. There were no inconveniences, haggling, none of it. Just in my driveway like a blessing (bam!). Thank you, Car Angel!”

Luke Armbruster, Berkley

“Exhausted, driving from dealer to dealer with the entire family, I stood before the van I could not be without. It was perfect, I just needed to close the deal. As I am about to negotiate a price with the pushy dealer, my nerves say I need advice, and I call Greg and see what he thinks. Within ten minutes (and even more astounding, on the phone) Greg helped me determine that the car had been wrecked and we easily caught the dealer covering it up. From that moment, Greg took over and found us a better vehicle at a better price with little effort on our part. Our stress over the purchase process went to zero as he handled the entire negotiation and delivery. We had no idea how much help he could be. Greg will no doubt be involved with every vehicle purchase and sale in our future. We cannot thank him enough.”

Jeff Thomes, Seattle

“Greg made the experience effortless. He negotiated a sweet deal on a low mileage car I always wanted.”

Steve Fox, Ojai

“Thank you so much for your incredible car angel service. We have been raving about our experience ever since! Kai is thrilled with his car, and we are very appreciative of the grace and ease, understanding and knowledge you bring to the entire car manifestation process. We are truly happy we did this process with you Greg, and that Kai had such a wonderful experience with you!”

Chakra Earthsong, Los Angeles

“I was able to see Greg’s expertise as both a buying assistant and a selling assistant and strongly recommend that anyone buying or selling a vehicle to utilize his services. In both transactions the savings I retained as a result of Greg’s advice and deal-hunting far exceeded his fees. I can confidently say that Greg has a knack for automobiles and his touch is magical.”

Kai Earthsong, Los Angeles

“Wow, what a Car Angel you are! I can’t believe how perfect this car is and how you got such a nice car for such a low price. I loved hearing from Brian about how very thoroughly you checked it out. thank you so much Greg!”

Cheryl Clearwater, Ojai

“The process of buying my car honestly worked like Magic: First, I declared my intention to the universe by calling Greg Macke and putting his expertise on the job of slueth work, investigation, and counsel. Together we sketched out a vision for the car I would find that “purrs like a cat”. A week or so later a Kia with a strange story and the need for some love became available for purchase within my price range!. Greg fully showed up for me in the capacity of My Car Angel by never dropping the ball on our communication (ie: catching or returning phone calls): by test driving the vehicle and giving me the straight lowdown on the car, and finally making small fix-its on the car to insure that it run at optimal capacity.”

Allasandra Rhody, Meiners Oaks

“I am a man who is perfectly capable of going out and finding my own cars (I have removed and replaced engines myself) and I was very interested to know what Greg knew that I didn’t. At the end of the day, he proved to me beyond the shadow of doubt that he has the skill set that is way beyond me to find incredible used cars. He is like a magician, a detective, and a mechanic rolled into one. I am not much for the angel thing but I would have to agree that, if they exist, he is certainly one of them. I bow in front of the master. He is that good.”

Troy Diestal, Ventura

“I was given Greg’s card while I was in the midst of trying to buy a used car. Things were not going well. I had a hard time sorting out whether I could trust the sellers and if the cars were good. When I first contacted Greg he assured me that he could find me the right car at a great price. That is exactly what he did. He located the car of my choice, he masterfully inspected the car, and he expertly negotiated the price. It was wonderful to turn this process over to an expert who always had my best interest at heart.”

Gail Light

“Greg really knows what he is doing. He checked out several cars and found out their background whether they were salvaged or not, drove over and inspected them and made sure they were mechanically fit. He made sure to keep me in the loop and recommended if he thought I should pass on the car or not. I was never pressured into anything and even when he told me that he found one that would fit perfectly and I said I’d take it – he made sure I inspected it first before the deal was sealed. This has been the most stress free car buying experience I ever had and I got way more for my money than I could ever have negotiated for on my own.
Thanks, Greg. I will certainly be sending my friends and family on to you for their car need! You have a client for life!”

Lorna Christensen

“We had wanted to sell our van for months, but dreaded the hassle and inconvenience of listing it, showing it, and haggling with potential buyers. We were unclear about how to set a price and how best to attract a buyer. Thank goodness for Greg! He not only guided us through the sales process, he essentially took it upon himself to prepare the car for sale, photograph it beautifully, create an irresistible listing and negotiate with the buyer. We sold our van for full price which was $2000 more than we originally thought. All in less than a week! He then helped us find the ideal replacement car (a Prius), well within our budget and in wonderful condition. He is experienced, knowledgable and professional. He is also intuitive — and enjoyable! We are so grateful!”

Chiobahn and Brian

“I just wanted to give my two cents, and let you know that Greg has helped us out with our cars over the past couple years. I’ve been top-to-bottom impressed with his knowledge, willingness to explain what’s going on and best steps going forward. Obviously buying a car is a really big decision. If you’ve been thinking about working with Greg, I can add my personal and professional recommendation to the mix.”

Tyler Suchman, Ojai

“Greg essentially turned the process around and led the negotiations throughout, resulting in a price far below what the dealer was asking. Brilliant!”

Dr Robert Porter

“Like most people, car buying for me has always been a painful, long, drawn out process. I simply don’t have the time to research cars and screen various dealers so I don’t end up buying a lemon. Greg completely took over the process and made it painless, time efficient, and effortless. He preselected the cars that met my criteria (not an easy thing to do, trust me) and we drove together and checked them out. He really knows his stuff, with his research process and inspection skills being second to no one. He saved me TIME, which as we all know is the most precious resource we have. Truly a gift.”

Matt Pitcher, Ojai

“Thanks for all your hard work Greg! We got the Sante Fe of our choice; all the right options and the right color interior and exterior. Because of you, the dealer took very good care of us, all at a much better price than we could have negotiated ourselves or anticipated. Thank you.”